English Literature - Basildon Academies
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ContentsNinetieth Birthday // My Grandmother Sample Answer –Pg 3Piano / Background Material – Pg 7Don’t Say I Said / Flowers Sample Answer – Pg 8Visiting Hour // Evans – Pg 12Your Dad Did What? // The Lesson – Pg 14They Did Not Expect This // The Pond – Pg 15Storm In The Black Forest / The Moment Sample Answers –Pg 17The Aging School Master // When You Are Old Sample Answers – Pg 21His Visitor // Ghosts – Pg 27Names // In Oak Terrace – Pg 29The Road Not Taken // Midnight on the Great Western Sample Answers – Pg 31Originally // Hard Water – Pg 35Horse Whisperer // To A Fish – Pg 37Crossing The Bar // Because I Could not stop for Death – Pg 39My Father on His Shield // Those Winter Sundays – Pg 41Time does not bring relief // Farewell, Sweet Dust – Pg 43Solitude // Ode On Solitude – Pg 44Nothing’s Changed // Homeland – Pg 46Hero // The Arms and The Boy – Pg 48It Rains // The Voice – Pg 50An Irishman Foresees His Death // Horses Abroad –Pg 52At Sea // The Sands Of Dee – Pg 53Unseen Strategy – Pg 54Exam Plan – Pg 56Assessment Objectives – Pg 57Poem Priority – Pg 57Poetry Golden Rules – Pg 59Winter Swans – Pg 61When We Two Parted – Pg 63Neutral Tones – Pg 64The Farmer’s Bride – Pg 66Walking Away – Pg 68Eden Rock – Pg 70Follower – Pg 71Love’s Philosophy – Pg 73Mother, Any Distance – Pg 74Porphyria’s Lover – Pg 75Letters From Yorkshire – Pg 77Before You Were Mine – Pg 78Singh Song – Pg 79Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee’ – Pg 80Climbing My Grandfather – Pg 81Possible exam questions – Pg 8210 Sample Essays – Pg 832
Ninetieth Birthday – R. S. ThomasYou go up the long trackThat will take a car, but is best walkedOn slow foot, noting the lichenThat writes history on the pageOf the grey rock. Trees are about youAt first, but yield to the green bracken,The nightjars house: you can hear it spinOn warm evenings; it is still nowIn the noonday heat, only the lesserVoices sound, blue-fly and gnatAnd the stream's whisper. As the road climbs,You will pause for breath and the far sea'sSignal will flash, till you turn againTo the steep track, buttressed with cloud.And there at the top that old woman,Born almost a century backIn that stone farm, awaits your coming;Waits for the news of the lost villageShe thinks she knows, a place that existsIn her memory only.You bring her greetingAnd praise for having lasted so longWith time's knife shaving the bone.Yet no bridge joins her ownWorld with yours, all you can doIs lean kindly across the abyssTo hear words that were once wise.How does the poet present old age and people’s attitudes towards it?3
My Grandmother – Elizabeth JenningsShe kept an antique shop – or it kept her.Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glass,The faded silks, the heavy furniture,She watched her own reflection in the brassSalvers and silver bowls, as if to provePolish was all, there was no need of love.And I remember how I once refusedTo go out with her, since I was afraid.It was perhaps a wish not to be usedLike antique objects. Though she never saidThat she was hurt, I still could feel the guiltOf that refusal, guessing how she felt.Later, too frail to keep a shop, she putAll her best things in one narrow room.The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,The smell of absences where shadows comeThat can’t be polished. There was nothing thenTo give her own reflection back again.In both poems explore relationships between young people and the elderly.Compare the ways these relationships are presented in the two poems.4
How does the poet present old age and people’s attitudes towards it? – NBWe see the poet presents a negative attitude towards old age in ‘Ninetieth Birthday’. Wesee the speaker’s negative attitude as he does not seem close to the person he is visitingand focuses on the distance between them.The poem’s structure highlights the negative attitude towards the elderly relation. The titleis used effectively as we can see the focus on her age immediately followed by ‘birthday’.This normally connotes celebration and happiness but these emotions are notdemonstrated here. The structure highlights a sense of detachment between the elderlyrelative and speaker. The use of second person narrative ‘you’ creates a sense of distancethat the speaker feels and the ongoing description of the surroundings makes it feel as if sheis quite far away both physically as well as metaphorically. The lack of stanza or rhymestructure could then represent the fact that she has been almost cut off or forgotten fromlife – she could have lost sense of any structure or routine. The poem uses caesurasrepeatedly and a great deal of punctuation which slows the pace of the poem. This couldagain reflect her old age and add to the distance between her and the speaker.The writer also uses language to convey his negative attitude. We see this first in thedescriptions of getting to the person. The writer uses the adjective ‘long’ on the first line.This is effective as it conveys that he has a journey to get to her physically but this coud alsosuggest that she is far away from his mind. He does not think about her and she has beenforgotten about. He also uses the phrase ‘writes history on the page of the grey rock’. Theuse of history could suggest that she is not part of current life and has been resigned to thepast. The use of colour imagery ‘grey’ could also relate to death and decay to show she is nolonger associated with life. Ironically, we see examples of personification in the naturearound. The writer uses personification in the nature imagery to describe this area. We aretold that ‘voices sound, blue-fly and gnat’. This could be used as a contrast to show the lackof life associated with the old lady by showing the life in nature instead. This again gives us amore negative view of the elderly. We see the speaker ‘pause’ as he gets near which couldalso suggest his reluctance to continue to visit. The writer has also used the verb ‘climb’ toshow his negative view and that he is struggling to go through with this visit.The writer continues with this negative attitude towards old age when he arrives at thehome. The writer describes her as ‘that old woman’. The use of ‘that’ creates a cold, distantfeeling and the lack of name could show that she lacks an identity. This could show that hedoesn’t see her as very important or show any interest in her. The fact she ‘awaits’ showsthat she is more excited to see him than he is to see her. We see this lack of connectioncontinue in ‘no bridge joins her own world with yours’. The ‘bridge’ could be used as ametaphor to show that the speaker feels like he has nothing in common and shows thedistance between the two. This imagery of distance is also continued in the hyperbolic‘abyss’. This heightens the widening gap between the two and heightens the disconnectionbetween them. The writer uses ‘once wise’ to describe her words at the end. This couldsuggest that her opinion and views are no longer relevant and like where she lives havebeen forgotten.5
Throughout this poem, we see that the speaker feels removed from old age. He shows adiscomfort at visiting and clearly has a negative attitude.Both poems explore relationships between young people and the elderly. Compare theways these relationships are presented in the two poems.Although both poems show a relationship between young people and the elderly, we see aslight difference between these. In ‘My Grandmother’ we see a sense of detachmentbetween the speaker and her Grandmother although there is more of a sense of arelationship than in ‘NB’.The title of ‘NB’ focuses more on age rather than the relationship whereas we do see thepossessive pronoun ‘My’. This shows distance in ‘NB’ with more of a relationship in ‘MG’.However, as the poem develops we see this is not a very close relationship either. Althoughthere is no strong structure in ‘NB’ to show how cut off the elderly person is there is astronger rhyme scheme present in ‘MG’ with a rhyming couplet at the end. However, thiscreates a sense of formality and could reflect the stricter routine and relationship they have.There is a strictness rather than loving feeling here.We see the writer uses nature imagery in ‘NB’ as a way of showing how far away the womanis from society to suggest she is cut off and detached from this. We see there is a ‘long track’– the adjective ‘long’ suggests a distant relationship between them. However, thegrandmother is more associated with antiques. ‘She kept an antique shop – or it kept her’.The repetition of ‘kept’ creates a stronger link between her and these items which couldsuggest she is more materialistic and seems to show more love towards these objects thanher grand-daughter. This could show they don’t have a close relationship. We see this laterin the simile ‘a wish not to be used like antique objects’. The writer shows that she felt thatshe was being objectified and treated like a possession. We also see a distance as thespeaker in ‘NB’ refers to the elderly lady as ‘that old woman’. The use of ‘that’ is cold anddistant. The lack of a name could also show that he doesn’t recognise her identity or see herin a close way. Finally, the writer of ‘MG’ uses the darker language of ‘absences’ and‘shadows’ which again suggests a lack of relationship here. We also see language associatedwith distance through the metaphors of ‘bridge’ and ‘abyss’ to also show they are not closeor have anything in common.Although we see more of a relationship in ‘MG’ as she provides more personal details aboutthis, both poems show a lack of a bond or connection with the elderly.6
PIANO - D.H. LawrenceSoftly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;Taking me back down the vista of years, till I seeA child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling stringsAnd pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of songBetrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belongTo the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outsideAnd hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamourWith the great black piano appassionato. The glamourOf childish days is upon me, my manhood is castDown in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.How does the poet present his feelings about childhood?Background Material – Tony HarrisonMy writing desk. Two photos, mam and dad.A birthday, him. Their ruby wedding1, her.Neither one a couple and both bad.I make out what’s behind them from the blur.Dad’s in our favourite pub2, now gone for good.My father and his background are both gone,but hers has my Welsh cottage and a woodthat still shows those same greens eight summers on,though only the greenness of it’s stayed the same.Though one of them’s in colour and one’s not,the two are joined, apart from their shared frame,by what, for photographers, would mar3 each shot:in his, if you look close, the gleam, the light, me in his blind right eye, but minutesize–in hers, as though just cast from where I write, a shadow holding something to itseyes.1 ruby wedding: fortieth anniversary of their marriage 2 pub: a local inn 3 mar: spoilIn both poems the speakers describe attitudes regarding the past. What arethe main similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets presentthose attitudes and feelings?7
Don’t Say I Said – Sophie HannahNext time you speak to you-know-whoI’ve got a message for him.Tell him that I have lost a stoneSince the last time I saw him.Tell him that I’ve got three new booksComing out soon, but play itCool, make it sound spontaneous.Don’t say I said to say it.He might ask if I’ve mentioned him.Say I have once, in passing.Memorise everything he saysAnd, no, it won’t be grassingWhen you repeat his words to me –It’s the only way to play it.Tell him I’m toned and tanned and fine.Don’t say I said to say it.Say that serenity and graceHave taken root inside me.My top-note is frivolityBut beneath, dark passions guide me.Tell him I’m radiant and repleteAnd add that every day itSeems I am harder to resist.Don’t say I said to say it.Tell him that all my ancient faultsHave been eradicated.I do not carp or analyseAs I might have when we dated.Say I’m not bossy any moreOr, better still, convey itSubtly, but get the point across.Don’t say I said to say it.How does the poet present her views on relationships?8
Flowers – Wendy CopeSome men never think of it.You did. You’d come alongAnd say you’d nearly bought me flowersBut something had gone wrong.The shop was closed. Or you had doubts –The sort that minds like oursDream up incessantly. You thoughtI might not want your flowers.It made me smile and hug you then.Now I can only smile.But, look, the flowers you nearly broughtHave lasted all this while.Both poets reveal their feelings about the end of a relationship. Compare thesimilarities and/or differences in how these are presented.How does the poet present her views on relationships? – DSISThe poet presents her negative views on her past relationship in this poem. She doesn’tseem to have let go of the relationship and is fixated on him knowing positive aspects of herlife.The poem’s structure highlights the negative attitude towards the end of the relationship.We can see she is unable to move on as the poem is structured through the dramaticmonologue of the speaker telling her friend what to say to her old partner. This is also ironicas we see that she is still trying to maintain a level of control even though the relationship isended. There is also a contrast between the fact that this poem has a very conversationaltone but shows the speaker to trying to dominate this! We can see that the speaker isstruggling to move on through the cyclical references to ‘don’t say I said to say it’. Thisshows that she is unable to move on and still wants to know what is happening. We can alsosee this negativity and bitterness from the very beginning – ‘you-know-who’. The fact thatshe refuses to name him could show how hurt she has been by him. We can also see herfocus on the end of the relationship at the end of this poem – this has clearly had a bigimpact on her. The structure fully shows her negative view on this relationship.The first way the language shows us her views is through the repeated use of imperative‘Next time I’ve got a message’. This clearly shows us that she is taking control in the piece9
and wants to have more dominance. It could suggest that the relationship did not end theway she wanted and so she is now trying to maintain a form of control she lacked in therelationship. We see the writer create a sense of humour through ‘play it cool, make itsound spontaneous’. This is ironic as being ‘spontaneous’ is the exact opposite of what sheis doing! This again shows her controlling attitude. She uses the verb ‘memorise everythinghe says’ which shows how important he must still be to her as she wants to know exactlywhat was said. The writer tells us that she wants her friend to say she is ‘toned and tannedand fine’. This triplet highlights the fact that she is trying to show off about her physicalcondition and is focusing on the positive. This shows that she wants him to think of her inthis way and regret ending the relationship or feel jealous they are no longer together.The writer also uses the repeated ‘r’ sound in ‘radiant and replete . Harder to resist’. Thisalliterative use of the same letter could again convey that she is finding it difficult to moveon and highlight her obsessive nature over this past relationship. At the end of the poem,she says about her ‘ancient faults’ have been ‘eradicated’. This shows that she wants him tothink that his possible reasons for ending the relationship are no longer justified. By usingthe adjective ‘ancient’ she is making her faults sound as if they are historical and no longerrelevant. The strong word choice ‘eradicated’ shows that they are completely gone – againshe is trying to show an improved version of herself since the relationship ended. The writeralso says ‘say I’m not bossy’. Like earlier, this is also ironic as this is exactly what she isdoing! The imperative shows that this is how she is in fact acting and could again suggestthat she is not able to let go of how she was when she was in the relationship – much as sherecognises the problems of this!Throughout this poem we have seen the speaker provide a humorous take on what shewants her ex to know about her. However, this compulsion shows that she is not over thepast relationship and still has a negative view of this.Both poets reveal their feelings about the end of a relationship. Compare thesimilarities and/or differences in how these are presented.Despite both poems showing the end of a relationship, the speakers view this ending indifferent ways. Poem A seems unable to move on from the relationship as she constantlywants him to know how she is whereas Poem B seems much more content to think aboutthe end and looks on their time together fondly.Both poems are structured to show their differing views. Poem A uses cyclical references –‘don’t say I said to say it’ throughout. This shows that she has not been able to move on andalso doesn’t want to speak to her ex. This is contrasted in Poem B as the speaker seems tobe directing her poem towards him with the direct address ‘You’ throughout. This showsthat she is more positive towards him and can look back on their time with more happinessthan Poem A which starts and ends the poem with negative thoughts about the relationship.Poem A also starts the poem by saying ‘you know who’. This suggests there has been anegative end to the relationship so she doesn’t want to say him name which is alsocontrasted with Poem B who seems to still think about her ex with fondness. We see this10
through ‘now I can only smile’. The verb ‘smile’ shows us she is able to recognise thepositives from their relationship and appreciate these. We also see one of the aspectsSpeaker A wants passed on is that her ‘ancient faults’ have been ‘eradicated’. The use of theadjective ‘ancient’ could again show that she is trapped in the past and unable to move on.The use of ‘faults’ shows that she is also focusing on the more negative aspects of how therelationship ended. This is different to Poem B as the speaker ends by saying ‘the flowersyou nearly brought have lasted all this while.’ This shows that she is still holding onto herthoughts of him which will outlive the flowers. However, she is focusing on a positivememory from the relationship whereas Speaker A is focusing on the negatives.Despite both relationships ending, the speakers seem to be dealing with this in differentways. Poem B is more accepting of the end and can reflect on it with more positivitywhereas Poem A seems to still want to have an aspect of control and is unable to let go11
Visiting HourThe hospital smellcombs my nostrilsas they go bobbing alonggreen and yellow corridors.What seems a corpseis trundled into a lift and vanishesheavenward.I will not feel, I will notfeel, untilI have to.Nurses walk lightly, swiftly,here and up and down and there,their slender waists miraculouslycarrying their burdenof so much pain, somany deaths, their eyesstill clear afterso many farewells.Ward 7. She liesin a white cave of forgetfulness.A withered handtrembles on its stalk. Eyes movebehind eyelids too heavyto raise. Into an arm wastedof colour a glass fang is fixed,not guzzling but giving.And between her and medistance shrinks till there is none leftbut the distance of pain that neither she nor Ican cross.She smiles a little at thisblack figure in her white cavewho clumsily risesin the round swimming waves of a belland dizzily goes off, growing fainter,not smaller, leaving behind onl
Horse Whisperer // To A Fish – Pg 37 Crossing The Bar // Because I Could not stop for Death – Pg 39 My Father on His Shield // Those Winter Sundays – Pg 41 Time does not bring relief // Farewell, Sweet Dust – Pg 43 Solitude // Ode On Solitude – Pg 44 Nothings hanged // Homeland – Pg 46 Hero // The Arms and The Boy – Pg 48
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